Rita Houston

A lot is about to change for The Lone Bellow, a trio of Southerners who now call Brooklyn home: The band has yet to perform outside of New York, but its self-titled debut album is already charting on iTunes. Its members just quit their day jobs this month so they can go on tour.

You'll see in this performance why they're bound to connect with new fans on the road. Zach Williams, Kanene Pipkin and Brian Elmquist are natural, passionate live performers who play and sing infectious folk-rock in close harmony with startling confidence.

Soul singer Cody ChesnuTT strips his sound down to its solo essence in this performance of the lyrically rich "That's Still Mama," a song about remembering where you come from. ChesnuTT mostly dropped out of the spotlight during the 10 years that passed following his 2002 debut, The Headphone Masterpiece — a stretch which clearly inspired his new album, Landing on a Hundred.